Candidates vying for Miami commission seat left out in cold after mayoral candidate abandons race

@ChuckRabin

When Miami Commissioner Francis Suarezwithdrew from the mayor’s race Monday night, the ripple effect left five civic-minded souls who had spent months raising campaign cash out in the cold.

The field of candidates competing for a much-coveted city commission seat now has no seat to fight for.

“I feel a little jilted. We worked hard,” said Ralph Rosado, executive director for a countywide non-profit who said his campaign knocked on 15,000 doors. “I’m certainly disappointed, but we knew from Day One that this was a possibility.”

Because Suarez quit the race before resigning from his commission seat he can retain the Flagami District 4 post for the remainder of his four-year term, which ends in 2015. Suarez’s decision essentially hands another four-year mayoral term to incumbent Tomás Regalado, who now faces two relative unknowns in the Nov. 5 election.